THE JUSTIFICATION: “I wanted something with a smoky flavor to offset the sweetness of the maple,” my bartender explained. “Are you writing this down? Make sure to note that you pussed out on the Landjaeger.”

YOU DID? I did. I’m just not ready for chewy cured meats this morning. Sorry.

HOW DO YOU CONSUME THIS BEVERAGE? Good question. So far I’ve been alternating sips of the stout and whisky. I asked my bartender if I was supposed to pour the stout into the beer. “You know, I’m not entirely sure. I’ve seen it done that way before, but that was in Thor. The bar scene, after he’s been banished to Earth.”

AS GOOD A SOURCE AS ANY. Indeed. Let’s see what happens.

AND? By god, it works. The sweet vanilla notes of the whisky do work very well with the strong smoky character of the stout. It truly is a boozy breakfast in a pint glass.

DEEP THOUGHTS: I probably wouldn’t have ordered this if not for the enthusiasm of my bartender, but he was right. He’s always right. Two in a row would probably render me utterly useless for the rest of the day, so I’ll just stick with the one. But I’ll get it again. And next time, I’ll probably include the Landjaeger.